A Highlander's Hope: A MacKendimen Clan Novella by Terri Brisbin

Author:Terri Brisbin [Brisbin, Terri]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

Robena woke as Iain left. No matter his best efforts not to wake her, she missed his warmth as soon as he climbed from the pallet. It took a few minutes to dress and shake out and fold up the bedcovers. She shivered as she stepped out the back door of the cottage to bring in a bucket of water she’d left there. The icy layer was thicker than the last one, so she knew that the weather outside had taken a wintry turn. ’Twould not be long before snow covered the village and Dunnedin sank into the clutches of winter.

She inhaled the cold and clear morning air before ducking back inside and closing the door against the chill. Another shiver wracked her and she grabbed up a blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders. A few minutes’ effort and she had the fire burning brighter. When it began to warm, she dropped the blanket and went about the tasks that began the day for her. His absence confused her.

Was he gone for the whole of the day? Glancing in the corner, she saw that his bag was still there and mostly undisturbed. Wondering on his plans would do her no good, so she put a pot on the hook over the growing fire and filled it with some of the water. She would make enough porridge so there was plenty for him if he did come back soon, and if he did not, she could eat it through the day or store it for the next morning.

The purposeful strides crunching over the frozen grass of the path to her cottage made her turn and wait as the visitor approached. The steps slowed and then stopped. Very slowly and quietly, the latch of the door lifted and the door inched open. When Iain’s face came into view, she smiled as he frowned.

“Damn!” he said as he entered quickly and pushed the door closed behind him. “I was hoping to find ye yet asleep under the covers.” He rubbed his massive hands together and blew on them. “The air is much colder today. And it feels like snow is approaching.”

“The water will be ready soon, and I will make some hot tea—a concoction that Moira favors—that will warm ye from the inside out,” she offered.

Standing up after checking the not-boiling water, she pushed her hair out of her face and back over her shoulders. The silence alerted her first. He stood by the door, not moving now, just staring at her.

“Come here, lass,” he said in a soft voice.

Robena walked to where he stood, and he opened his arms to her. Embracing her, he leaned his chin on her head and rubbed down over her back. She may have sighed aloud at the comfort of it. When he laughed, the rumble of it spreading out through his chest so she could feel it next to her face, she understood she had sighed loud enough for him to hear.

“I canna help it, Iain.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.